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Behind the Masks
Behind the Masks is the fifth new book in the Dear America relaunch. It was published in January 2012 by Scholastic. The book was written by award-winning author, Susan Patron. It was followed by Down the Rabbit Hole in March 2013. The town of Bodie, California slips into lawlessness, when Angeline Reddy's father, a well-known lawyer, disappears. Dedication :"For Richard Jackson, with love" Description :"''My name is Angie. This is my story.... Life in the Wild West is never dull, especially not after Angeline Reddy's father, the town of Bodie's greatest criminal lawyer, is declared murdered. Angie, who knows deep in her heart that he isn't dead, decides it is up to her to solve the mystery of what happened to him. But when her mother takes ill and a mysterious ghost appears, putting together the puzzle pieces seems impossible. Not to mention, a gang of vigilantes, the 601, is raging out of control, running folks out of town, and nobody is safe. Will Angie, with the help of friends Ellie and Ling Loi, and the mysterious and tragically handsome Antoine, be able to uncover the secret of her father's disappearance?" Plot A young Wells Fargo clerk arrives at the Reddy household to inform them about the death of Patrick Reddy, an famous criminal lawyer in Bodie, California. However, Antoine has no proof and Patrick's wife and daughter, Emma and Angeline, believe that he is still alive. Angeline confirms her doubts, when she sees her father's empty coffin at Ward's Undertaking Shop. That same day, Angeline meets Ling Loi Wing, who reveals that she knows Angeline's father. Two days later, Ling Loi returns with a message from Patrick, a key to his antechamber. Angeline uses the key and finds a sealed envelope labeled "601," the name of a group of local vigilantes. Without Patrick to stop them, the 601 run wild through the streets and force families out of town for crimes that they have not been found guilty of. Later, Angeline returns to her father's antechamber with her new friend, Eleanor Tucker, when they see a strange apparition of a little girl. Meanwhile, the women of Bodie are preparing for the upcoming Fourth of July ball, when Antoine takes Angeline to her father, who promises to come out of hiding soon. Angeline grows closer to Ling Loi, after hearing her about her past from Lottie Johl, Ling Loi's foster mother and former prostitute. Later, Lottie and her husband leave town, realizing that Bodie's citizens will never forget Lottie's past. Unfortunately, they are robbed by bandits on the way to Bridgeport. At the Fourth of July ball, Lottie wears a mask and wins "Most Beautiful Costume," and claims to know who robbed her. Sheriff Pioche Kelley scoffs and says that Antoine was the actual culprit. Suddenly, Patrick appears and after much negotiating with Hebert McPhee, the three perpetrators are apprehended. After the ball ends, Eleanor's father, Darryl reveals a secret that has plagued him for fifteen years. The night ends with Antoine telling Angeline that he has made "a discovery." Characters *'Angeline Reddy, the daughter of Bodie's famous lawyer, Patrick "Pat" Reddy. She refuses to believe her father is dead, when Antoine Duval delivers the news. *Ling Loi Wing, a Chinese orphan, who lives on Bonanza Street and earns money by washing the clothes of prisoners. She helps Patrick Reddy, when he goes into hiding, and befriends Angeline. *Eleanor Tucker' is the daughter of prominent Bodie citizen, Darryl Tucker. She becomes good friends with Angeline and confides her true feelings about her father to Angeline. Author '''Susan Patron' (born 1948 in Los Angeles, California) is the author of the Newberry Award winning novel, The Higher Power of Lucky, and it's sequels, Lucky Breaks and Lucky for Good. She has written several picture books for children and worked as a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, until she retired in 2007. Patron first visited the now ghost town of Bodie twelve years prior to writing Behind the Masks. She stated that as she walked through the town she felt "a vivid sense of the real people who had lived there." After writing The Higher Power of Lucky trilogy about a girl living in a former mining town, she wanted to know how it would feel growing up there when the town was still alive. References See also Category:A to Z Category:Books Category:Dear America Category:Dear America books Category:Dear America relaunch Category:Behind the Masks